Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

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The Friday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Europa Universalis 4 is going free on the Epic Store
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/europa-universalis-4-is-going-free-on-the-epic-store/
Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'd really like to try one of those massive Paradox grand strategy games, but I don't want to invest any money into it because the whole thing is likely to end quickly and badly?" I certainly have. Then one day, many years ago, I threw caution to the wind and bought Europa Universalis: Rome, determined to scratch that itch. 30 minutes later, as I flipped hopelessly through the phone book-sized manual, I realized that I had been right all along. I was way out of my depth.
The good news for anyone in a similar situation is that you will soon have the opportunity to embark on a journey of grand strategy self-discovery without having to drop a penny: The acclaimed Europa Universalis 4, "a textured and engrossing simulation that conquers the common ground between your average Civilization V player and the long-time devotees of grand strategy," is slated to go free next week on the Epic Games Store.
(...)
Ahead of that, though, is The Escapists, this week's giveaway game, an also-acclaimed indie prison break simulator. Do it quietly (dig a tunnel), do it loud (start a riot), or do something else entirely—it doesn't matter, as long as you get out. Epic still doesn't support user ratings but it's got a "very good" overall ranking across more than 13,000 user reviews on Steam (it's been out since 2015), and that's pretty solid stuff.

The Humble Store features the new SEGA Discovery Sale, with up to 85% discounts during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/sega-discovery-sale/.

Fanatical has two new sales:

• The new Star Deal is the Hard Reset Redux + Redeemer Double Pack, 96% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/hard-reset-redux-redeemer-double-pack
• The SEGA Discovery Sale brings up to 87% discounts during the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/sega
• And we can't forget about the BundleFest, with two new bundles just added: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Easy Anti-Cheat now supports the Steam Deck
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/easy-anti-cheat-now-supports-the-steam-deck/
Valve's made it clear that it wants every game on Steam to be playable on the Steam Deck at launch, and one of the few major obstacles to that goal has been anti-cheat technologies that only work on Windows. That problem has now been at least partially solved—Epic, which bought Easy Anti-Cheat back in 2018, announced on Thursday that it's added support for both Linux and Mac OS.
And it gets better: Easy Anti-Cheat doesn't just offer native Linux support now, but also support for Wine and Proton, the compatibility layers used to run Windows applications on Linux. Proton is what Valve is using to make the entire Steam library playable on the Steam Deck, even though relatively few games have native Linux ports.
"Starting with the latest SDK release, developers can activate anti-cheat support for Linux via Wine or Proton with just a few clicks in the Epic Online Services Developer Portal," the update reads.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This mod adds an incredible photo mode to almost any UE4 game
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/universal-unreal-unlocker-photo-mode-mod/
At this point we practically expect photo modes in certain kinds of games. If you're playing a fancy open-world or action game with exquisitely detailed graphics, it's a surprise to find the developers didn't implement a good way to capture the perfect freeze frame of a lush landscape, a cool pose, or a detailed facial expression.
And even when games do have their own photo modes, these proprietary versions can have limitations. If you've been looking for a more multi-purpose photo mode tool, you'll be glad to know that screenshotting aficionados already invented it: the Universal Unreal Unlocker, or "UUU."
The UUU mod lets you trigger a free cam mode in a lengthy list of Unreal Engine 4 games (more than 300, according to UUU's creator), disable HUDs, and recreate the in-game console. Plus it adds a frame skip function. The result is a lot of freedom to capture exactly the right moment—even during cutscenes, which are usually off-limits.

GAMING NEWS

2K Games has removed Denuvo from Mafia: Definitive Edition
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/2k-games-has-removed-denuvo-from-mafia-definitive-edition/
2K Games and Hangar 13 have removed the Denuvo anti-tamper tech from Mafia: Definitive Edition. In addition, the publisher is offering the game with a 40% discount on Steam until September 30th.

Actraiser Renaissance is a remaster of the classic Actraiser, now available on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/actraiser-renaissance-is-a-remaster-of-the-classic-actraiser-now-available-on-steam/
Square Enix has just announced a remake/remaster of the classic Actraiser game, Actraiser Renaissance. The game has just been released on Steam, and it comes with some free stuff until November 1st.

The Elder Scrolls Online – DLSS vs DLAA vs TAA Comparison Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/the-elder-scrolls-online-dlss-vs-dlaa-vs-taa-comparison-video/
Last week, we informed you about a new patch for The Elder Scrolls Online that will add support for DLSS and DLAA. And yesterday, YouTube’s MxBenchmarkPC shared a comparison video between these DLSS, DLAA and TAA.

Perfect Dark is now developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/perfect-dark-is-now-developed-by-the-initiative-and-crystal-dynamics/
In December 2020, Microsoft announced a new Perfect Dark game. And today, The Initiative announced that it will be working with Crystal Dynamics in order to develop it.

New Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trailers highlight its combat and exploration systems
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-trailers-highlight-its-combat-and-exploration-systems/
Square Enix and Eidos-Montreal released two new videos for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. According to the teams, each video features insights directly from Senior Gameplay Director Patrick Fortier. In the first video, Fortier hones in on how the Guardians synergize in battle. In the second, he focuses on how players can lead the Guardians outside of it.

Dark space-shooter Chorus releases on December 3rd
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dark-space-shooter-chorus-releases-on-december-3rd/
Deep Silver has announced that its dark space-shooter, Chorus, will release on December 3rd. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also released a new trailer that you can find below.

FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water releases on PC on October 28th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fatal-frame-maiden-of-black-water-releases-on-pc-on-october-28th/
KOEI Tecmo has announced that FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water will release on PC on October 28th. Maiden of Black Water will be the first FATAL FRAME game that will come out on PC, and below you can also find its official PC system requirements.

F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is coming to PC in October
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/f-i-s-t-forged-in-shadow-torch-is-coming-to-pc-in-october/
TiGames and bilibili announced that F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch will release on PC in October 2021. The game is using Unreal Engine 4 and will be available on both Steam and Epic Games Store.